Oakland adds Lawrie, Semien, Davis and versatile Zobrist to mix

MESA, Ariz. -- Evaluating and maximizing defensive efficiency has increasingly been a focus for every front office. It was yet again a homework project for the A's this offseason, and they came away feeling confident in their potential for plus marks.

"We really shored up what was a deficiency for us last year," said manager Bob Melvin. "That's what we're seeing right now. [Brett] Lawrie is as active over at third base as anyone, Marcus [Semien] is making plays every day, [Eric] Sogard does his thing, Ike Davis is a good defender at first. It's a very good infield defense."

MESA, Ariz. -- A's third baseman Brett Lawrie launched a pair of homers and collected four RBIs in Monday's 11-2 victory over the Rockies at Hohokam Stadium, as Oakland's offense continued to roll. Oakland is now 13-1 at its new spring home.

The A's not only added depth at seven positions when acquiring Ben Zobrist, the ultimate prize for a club that oozes versatility, but a No. 3 hitter to replace Josh Donaldson, leaving them abuzz over the switch-hitting Zobrist's potential impact on both sides of the ball.

"You know you're not going to lose anything, and you'll maybe even gain something, when you plug him in at each position," said infield coach Mike Gallego. "And he can hit? It's almost unfair."

MESA, Ariz. -- Drew Pomeranz, already viewed as the frontrunner for the fifth spot in the A's rotation, showed why Monday, mowing down his former Rockies team with ease in an 11-2 victory.

The lefty compiled a spring-high six scoreless innings, allowed only two hits and walked one with six strikeouts, bouncing back from a forgettable outing five days prior that was hindered by hip tightness.

MESA -- This may be one of those Billy Beane deals in which at first you go: "Oh, no!" And then later, calmed down and corrected you go: "Oh, I see."

How could the vice president/general manager of the Oakland Athletics possibly trade a player of the caliber of Josh Donaldson? One very good answer to that question was on the mound at Hohokam Stadium Sunday, pitching for the A's and building a big league future.

MESA, Ariz. -- Right-hander Chris Bassitt, whose bid for a starting rotation spot was spoiled by a handful of spotty outings this spring, was optioned with outfielder Alex Hassan to Triple-A Nashville on Sunday.

"It was going to be somebody, and as far as depth goes, we always want one or two guys ready to go, and that's the message we gave Chris," said manager Bob Melvin. "We did go over some things we thought he needed to work on. He was a little disappointed in his performance, but we certainly know what he has to offer. My guess is he will be a factor at some point for us this year."

MESA, Ariz. -- A's outfielder Josh Reddick, back in game action Saturday for the first time since suffering a right oblique strain, went hitless in four plate appearances on the Minor League side, but experienced no issues.

"No hits, but that wasn't the important thing," said Reddick. "I went out there and felt like I got all the bases covered -- swing and miss, check swings, hit the ball hard a couple times, walked, stole a base."

MESA, Ariz. -- A's right-hander Kendall Graveman continued to dominate Cactus League opposition Sunday, stringing together 6 1/3 scoreless innings against the Brewers in a 7-0 victory for Oakland at Hohokam Stadium.

Graveman, in line to start the A's fourth game of the regular season, faced just two over the minimum in his time on the mound. He allowed only three hits, the first of which didn't come until the fifth, when Gerardo Parra notched a two-out single. Logan Schafer was responsible for the second, a bunt single, but was promptly picked off first base by A's catcher Josh Phegley.

Kazmir's outstanding start backed by offensive surge

3/28/15: Billy Burns goes 4-for-5 with three runs scored in the A's 10-4 win over the White Sox

By Chris Gabel and Scott Merkin
/
MLB.com |

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Billy Burns' four hits topped a 15-hit attack in a 10-4 Oakland victory over the White Sox at Camelback Ranch. Saturday's start against the A's for Jose Quintana looked much like some of his Major League-high 39 no-decisions since 2012, as the left-hander pitched brilliantly over six innings against Scott Kazmir, only to leave trailing by two runs.

But the White Sox rallied for three in the sixth before Quintana was officially removed, scoring two on Alexei Ramirez's single and then taking the lead on Geovany Soto's two-out double. Quintana fanned five over six innings without issuing a walk. Only one of his two runs allowed were earned.

Scott Merkin is a reporter for MLB.com. Read his blog, Merk's Works, and follow him on Twitter @scottmerkin. Chris Gabel is a contributor to MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

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'Winning is important' for Melvin, even in spring

Kazmir lowers ERA to 0.75; Crisp expected to return to lineup Tuesday

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Melvin on Spring Training 8:13

3/8/15: Bob Melvin discusses the start of Spring Training and how the team is preparing for the upcoming season

By Chris Gabel
/
Special to MLB.com |

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- The A's entered Saturday with a Major League-best 17-9 record this spring, which, of course, will mean nothing in a week.

Chris Gabel is a contributor to MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

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Utility man Ladendorf contends for Opening Day spot

With Reddick possibly headed to DL, A's may have room on roster for 27-year-old

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Ladendorf's RBI triple 1:12

3/7/15: Tyler Ladendorf ties the game in the 9th with an RBI triple to the wall in left-center field

By Chris Gabel
/
Special to MLB.com |

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- "He's really opened some eyes."

For a player yet to establish himself in the Major Leagues, those are five of the best words to hear as Spring Training winds down. For A's super-utility man Tyler Ladendorf, he's heard them more than once this spring from manager Bob Melvin.

MESA, Ariz. -- Mark Canha has firmly established his knack for the big, late-inning hit. Just two days after clinching the go-ahead run with a two-run homer against the Brewers, the A's slugger provided a walk-off win over the Rangers, courtesy of a three-run shot.

"Big shocker there, right?" said manager Bob Melvin, grinning. "It was just whether he was going to hit it to right or to left."

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Often mistaken for one another, Billy Beane and Billy Bean found themselves in the same clubhouse Thursday, just as they did 27 years ago when playing in the outfield together for Triple-A Toledo.

"We also had a guy named Pete Rice playing in the outfield, so we had a 'Rice and Beans' outfield," said a smiling Bean.

Chris Haft is a reporter for MLB.com. Read his blog, Haft-Baked Ideas, and follow him on Twitter at @sfgiantsbeat. Jane Lee is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

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Chavez shows ability to work out of jams

A's righty struggles to put away Giants but is happy with where he's at

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Chavez fans Aoki 0:10

3/26/15: Jesse Chavez gets Nori Aoki swinging to record his first strikeout

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Back on the bump against the Giants on Thursday night after vacating camp for a day to welcome his third daughter, Dannie Rae, into the world, right-hander Jesse Chavez was thrown right into traffic, weaving his way in and out of several jams.

"That's what we're looking for right now, too," said A's manager Bob Melvin. "We talk about how guys respond when guys are on base. He did reasonably well with that."

Selecting a player in the December Rule 5 Draft at the end of the Winter Meetings is really a low risk/high reward proposition. The price is $50,000 to obtain a player left unprotected by another team. There is a catch, however. The selected player must remain on his new team's Major League roster the entire season or be offered back to his original team for half the purchase price, $25,000, if he clears waivers.

The Miami Marlins did not protect first baseman Mark Canha this past winter. As a result, the Colorado Rockies selected Canha with the second overall pick in the Rule 5 Draft. With his power potential and the perceived lack of first base depth in the organization, Colorado seemed like a perfect place for Canha to play. His bat would find Coors Field a welcome playground. However, the Rockies traded Canha to the Oakland Athletics in exchange for pitcher Austin House and cash. If Canha makes the big leagues in 2015, it will likely be with Oakland and not Miami or Colorado.

Bernie Pleskoff has served as a professional scout for the Houston Astros and Seattle Mariners. Follow @BerniePleskoff on Twitter. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Gray finds trouble against hot-hitting Brewers

A's Opening Day starter allows six runs; Oakland rallies in ninth for tie

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Davis' two-run blast 0:24

3/25/15: Ike Davis hammers a two-run home run to dead-center field, bringing the Athletics within a run in the 3rd

By Jane Lee and Adam McCalvy
/
MLB.com |

PHOENIX -- Carlos Gomez hit a leadoff home run and logged RBIs in each of the first three innings as the Brewers knocked around A's Opening Day starter Sonny Gray on Wednesday at Maryvale Baseball Park. The game ended in a 9-9 tie after Oakland rallied for four runs in the ninth.

Gray was touched for six earned runs on eight hits and three walks in only 2 2/3 innings, but he wasn't the only pitcher roughed up in the early going. Brewers starter Jimmy Nelson pitched five innings and surrendered four runs (one earned) on six hits, including Ike Davis' long two-run home run in the third inning. Those runs and one more came in the third after Brewers second baseman Luis Sardinas was charged with a costly error.

Jane Lee is a reporter for MLB.com.
Adam McCalvy is a reporter for MLB.com. Read his blog, Brew Beat, and follow him on Twitter at @AdamMcCalvy. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

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A's hope Crisp will be ready by Opening Day

Outfielder received cortisone shot to alleviate pain in injured right elbow

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Crisp's sac fly 0:22

3/7/15: Coco Crisp ties the game up at 1 with a sacrifice fly to center

MESA, Ariz. -- The A's aren't so much concerned about Coco Crisp's spring at-bat totals as they are his health, which is why they remain optimistic he'll be regular-season ready even if he continues to be held out of Spring Training games.

Crisp was a late scratch from Tuesday's matchup with the Cubs because of ongoing right elbow soreness, and it was later revealed that he received a cortisone shot to alleviate the pain, which will keep him out of game action through the week.

A's not concerned about down start by Gray

Opening Day starter allowed six runs over 2 2/3 innings against Brewers

PHOENIX -- Sonny Gray was knocked around by the Brewers on Wednesday, but the A's Opening Day starter was told to forget about the outing as quickly as he left it.

"You know what? Guy's got a lot of energy, he's very serious about what he does," said manager Bob Melvin, "and every now and then he's going to have a bad outing. I've never seen him get hit around, so we'll move on to the next one with him."

Oakland expects Clippard, Otero to step up with Doolittle (injured), Cook (optioned) out

PHOENIX -- The A's bullpen, though different in makeup, remains a great strength.

The club will begin the regular season without the injured Sean Doolittle and the demoted Ryan Cook, yet top to bottom, the bullpen is loaded with assets, starting with presumed fill-in closer Tyler Clippard. Manager Bob Melvin is expected to make an official announcement on that soon.

Melvin expects All-Star righty to sort through mechanical issues

MESA, Ariz. -- Ryan Cook will look to continue sorting through mechanical issues, just not with the big league club. The struggling A's reliever was optioned to Triple-A Nashville on Tuesday, one day after he endured another rocky outing.

"We just felt like he needed a break from this, to go down and work things out," said manager Bob Melvin. "Sometimes something like that can rejuvenate you. It certainly wasn't fun for anybody, especially him. He was shocked and I don't blame him, but we expect him to be back here. We really do.